Ah baseball, the "All American Sport"! Since its invention in the 1800s, America's "national pastime" has become a very commercialized sport, involving players earning tens of millions of dollars, attracting millions of viewers.
Players battle the game out in nine (9) innings, where each side is given the opportunity to both score points and defend. When a team is up to bat, it has the opportunity to score points by running to three plates and eventually back to the "home plate" from which the players hit the balls. The defending team, on the other hand, tries to prevent the other team from reaching those bases by tagging the players with the ball.
The role of the pitcher is to make the batter strike out, that is, to swing the bat without hitting the ball, or not swinging when the ball was thrown fairly. This is done by making it difficult for the batter to hit the ball. The pitcher cannot, however, make it impossible for the batter to hit the ball, like throwing the ball at the ground, or out of reach of the batter's bat; so to ensure that the pitcher throws a fair ball, the ball must be thrown over the home plate in a specific height range. Should the pitch (throw) not be "fair" the pitch is considered a "ball" and the batter is not penalized for it. In fact, should the pitcher throw more than four "balls" the batter gets to "walk" to first base for free, pushing along any other player that was already there to the next plate, even scoring a point potentially.
Okay, so why the hell am I boring you with this mechanics of baseball? Well there is some strategy involved with the game. For instance, often one would assume that "walking" a player to first base would be a bad thing--afterall, the player does not even need to work to walk to that base. This is true most of the time, but in some instances, where the consequences of a good hit would be grave, it is appropriate to walk a player to first, especially if there is a low risk of the team capitalizing on the "walk."
"Low risk" is the subject of this new story. Kids, like adults, like to participate in sports, and as such baseball is often a popular sport. It's so popular that "Little Leagues" form as a youth manifestation of the "big leagues"--professional sports. Just like the adults, these kids compete against each other by playing with local teams, and then possibly teams from other regions should they do well enough. The games teach kids how to compete with each other, but at the same time learn life lessons of comradery, teamwork, sportsmanship, and above all: winning and losing.
An old sports saying goes, if winning and losing isn't important, then why keep score? Well the score in a Bountiful little league championship game had a team down one run in the last inning with a man on third, two outs, and the power hitter up. The opposing coach decided to walk the power hitter, not wanting to face him.
The next batter was Romney Oaks, a cancer survivor who has a shunt in his brain to help him live. He has to take medicine every day and get an MRI every six months. Unfortunately, this story doesn't have a Hollywood ending -- Romney struck out and his team lost.
Poor Romney! If only the other team's coach had the moral conviction to not kick a dog while he's down. That kid had cancer and some silicon tube jammed in his head. Aren't these sports supposed to foster self-esteem and the idea that, when it comes down to it, everybody is a winner? That bastard.
Oh sure, Romney's team is probably telling him that it wasn't his fault that he didn't win them that game. It was the other team's deliberate and malicious tactic that cost them the game, right? Really, what kind of morally bankrupt coach "picks on" a kid with cancer, nevermind that the kid before him was a champ swinger?
"Man... if only we had two great hitters instead of..." Humm... "Why can parents sue just because we..." Well... "I'm sure I could move him to a different spot in the..." Gee... "Reminds me of those kids who were always picked last in..." Er.. hey team, let's go get some ice cream and it'll all be better!
What if the villain of the story had let Mr. Oaks' team win? Would it have been cheers and smiles, or discrace and handicap? Imagine if the team had purposely walked the star-hitter, but forfeited the game right after? No, not could have won, would have won. Here's your trophy, you earned it! Maybe they'd even refuse to take the trophy, so the winning team would've still been the winner and not a heel. What a cold calculation.
posted by Bionic-Badger on Saturday 2nd September 2006, 17:52:19
So why didn't the coach just sub out lil Romney and pinch hit a better
hitter? It's part of the game, especially when a CHAMPIONSHIP is on
the line. They expected the fielded teams coach to just throw away a chance
at a championship for 14 kids just to keep one kid from facing the
pitcher... because he has an unfortunate medical condition? Why the fuck
did his Dad sign him up for organized sports then? To teach him to expect
everyone to pity him like life's going to be one big pity party for
poor little Romney when he grows up?
Fucking Dad must be a thumbsucker bedwetting Democrat
Well, I'll give that coach the benefit of the doubt and say that
he probably didn't have any reserve players to replace Romney
with (you can't swap out players unless you have someone not
currently in the game) because those Little League teams usually play
everyone.
Still, can you imagine ff that coach had pinch-hitter-ed that kid out
of there? That would've been even worse (for him) than him
striking out. "You are the weakest link! Goodbye!"
All American Sport!
Players battle the game out in nine (9) innings, where each side is given the opportunity to both score points and defend. When a team is up to bat, it has the opportunity to score points by running to three plates and eventually back to the "home plate" from which the players hit the balls. The defending team, on the other hand, tries to prevent the other team from reaching those bases by tagging the players with the ball. 
The role of the pitcher is to make the batter strike out, that is, to swing the bat without hitting the ball, or not swinging when the ball was thrown fairly. This is done by making it difficult for the batter to hit the ball. The pitcher cannot, however, make it impossible for the batter to hit the ball, like throwing the ball at the ground, or out of reach of the batter's bat; so to ensure that the pitcher throws a fair ball, the ball must be thrown over the home plate in a specific height range. Should the pitch (throw) not be "fair" the pitch is considered a "ball" and the batter is not penalized for it. In fact, should the pitcher throw more than four "balls" the batter gets to "walk" to first base for free, pushing along any other player that was already there to the next plate, even scoring a point potentially.
"Low risk" is the subject of this 
An old sports saying goes, if winning and losing isn't important, then why keep score? Well the score in a Bountiful little league championship game had a team down one run in the last inning with a man on third, two outs, and the power hitter up. The opposing coach decided to walk the power hitter, not wanting to face him. 
